


Inferno

by ame_no_itteki



Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Bad Spelling & Grammar, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Gen, Multi, Not Beta Read, Not Canon Compliant, Out of Character, Presumed Dead, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-27
Updated: 2019-05-27
Packaged: 2020-03-20 03:30:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18984346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ame_no_itteki/pseuds/ame_no_itteki
Summary: That day it was not Sabo who died at the hands of Tenryuubito, it was Ace.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This came about as I wondered what would happen if Ace was the one who 'died' during their childhood, thus leaving Luffy to grow up with Sabo? I don't know whether anyone has already written something similar before, but I was so curious!
> 
> Hope you like it!

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

" _Sabo was such a kind older brother."_

 

" _What's that supposed to mean?! Would you rather I died instead?!"_

 

" _I never said that!"_

 

" _But that's basically what you meant!"_

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

_That day it was not Sabo who died at the hands of Tenryuubito, it was the other brother—_

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

There was nothing special about his decision to come to the town today. Normally Dogra and the other mountain bandits would avoid going there at all cost, but with the recent happenings between the two— _three_ —boys he could not stay silent anymore. Luffy and Ace just had another fight this morning about their other 'brother', Sabo. He and the others had began to wonder about the small blonde whereabouts for some time now. Apparently Sabo came from a noble family, and his disappearance was due to his parents wanting him back.

 

Thus the reason for his trip today was to find the brat and tell him about Ace and Luffy. Sabo was the only one who could take care of the two whenever they fought after all.

 

Luckily with the arrival of some world noble, the High Town was bussing with activities and none paid a wandering bandit like him any heed. The nobles were said to be at the port as some sort of welcoming commite for the Tenryuubito. Hopefully Sabo would be here with his noble family, and he would get the chance to speak with the boy.

 

He passed through what looked like pool of red paint (blood? In High Town? _Unlikely_. Maybe they just couldn't be bothered to get dirty and take care of such mess) and continued on his way to find Sabo. The blond had an uncanny attraction to the sea, similar to his other 'brothers', so he most likely stayed around the port for as long as possible.

 

He searched through the throngs of people— _kid with yellow hair, no, not that one, not that one either. The town just had too many blondes. Must be a noble trait or something_ —when he picked on the whispering.

 

_"...that uncouth mongrel."_

 

_"Good riddance."_

 

_"Yes, good thing Saint Jalmack had courageously..."_

 

_"Isn't he one of the kids who always caused trouble downtown? I recognized him—"_

 

_"Well, he can't cause any trouble again now."_

 

"What happened here?" He asked none in particular. A young man, thankfully not one of those pompous nobles, turned to look at him and scoffed, "You didn't know? Though the news already reached the dump by now."

 

The man then shrugged, "Apparently some brat pissed off the Tenryuubito and got shot couple of times." He jerked his head to the splatters of blood (so it wasn't red paint!) decorating the supposedly cleanest city in the whole Blues, "Brat is pretty strong, probably would be alive if they didn't leave him on a burning boat."

 

Dogra felt dread creep on him, a dull ill ache seemed to have settled in the pit of his stomach. _One of the kids. Always making trouble in High Town. Pretty strong_. "That brat...what did he look like?"

 

"The brat?" The man strached his chin in thought, "Small, maybe around ten or something. Dark hair, eyes and blue, eh, black shirt? Not sure, didn't get a good look at him. You should— _oi_ , where are you going?!"

 

The bandit rushed to the front line where many nobles were still clattering about, murmuring and pointing excitedly at the sea. Some of them even had a grand-looking telescope for better view of mildly burning boat drifting off the open water. Hastily fiddling with his own meager telescope, Dogra followed their example and zoomed on his target. He swallowed back string of curses as his shaking hands refused to hold the lens properly and let him focus. However, as the damned thing finally worked, he seriously wished that the telescope was broken and he could undo what he had seen.

 

Because lying on the burning boat was the boy that he and the whole Dadan Family had raised for the past few years.

 

— _Ace_.

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

_And in turn the youngest got his kind older brother back._

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

Luffy was not letting go. Not now and not ever again. If he did surely Sabo would disappear and he wouldn't get to see his brother ever again. So, no, he would not let go no matter what happened. He did let Sabo breath though because the older boy was turning blue and making funny noises. But other than that, Luffy would make sure to always keep Sabo with him all the time! Giggling happily, the seven-year old looped his hand for the six, oh, seventh time around Sabo's left arm. Now, there was no way Sabo could go anywhere without bringing him along!

 

Sabo chanced a look at his left as Luffy's unique giggle echoed around the small room. Heaving a sigh, he allowed Luffy to do whatever he wanted this time. The kid just missed him and wouldn't do anything too bad, hopefully.

 

"Yes, so I was planning to send a letter to you before I leave. But Stelly somehow discovered my plan and told my parents." Sabo explained, offering his audience a wry grin, "They were furious and ordered me to be locked up till I got my act together and stopped behaving like a lunatic low-born." Here, the blond rolled his eyes, scoffing. They should have known better. As if such pathetic cage could hold him off his dream. "I managed to get out when everyone were all too busy preparing the noble's arrival. They probably think I have gone with my original plan and won't bother searching for me anymore."

 

"I see, it's good that you managed to escape. Everyone would be happy to know your return. Isn't that right, Okashira?" Mogra addressed the seemingly sleeping Dadan, who turned red and immediately scoffed as everyone's attention was focused on her. "H-hmph. Not like I care what happens to any of you brats."

 

"Shishishi...Dadan is so funny!" Luffy laughed. It felt good to have Sabo back. Now his family was complete again! "You're like Ace! Sabo said Ace always turns red when he is emba, embaiased."

 

"It's 'embarrassed' not 'embaiased', Luffy. And you're not supposed to tell anyone about it or Ace is going to get angry at us again." Sabo cuffed him lightly on the head, frowning. "Come to think of it, where is Ace? I thought he'd already here by now." The blond felt Luffy tense up at the question and looked down at the younger in confusion, "Luffy?"

 

"Ace is stupid." Luffy grumbled, grabbing his straw hat and yanking it hard down onto his head. "He got so angry just because I called Sabo kind and nice older brother." Pouting, the rubber boy looked at his feet and refused to meet Sabo's eyes, "He didn't have to hit me so hard and run away like that. Stupid Ace. Sabo is much better and nicer."

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

_Equivalent Exchange._

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

Luffy was playing with his beetles when Dogra returned. After much persuasion ( _super yummy extra meat!_ ), the seven-year old had finally agreed to wait outside while Sabo and the bandits talked over important details.

 

"Alright! So which one of you is gonna win—huh? Dogra!" He waved to the small bandit, "You went out today, right? Sabo came back earlier!"

 

"A-ah," Dogra gulped, his features pale and haunted. "Is that so? That's great then..." No, it's not! To think that they got one brat back only to lost another...

 

"What's wrong? You don't look so good. Are you hungry? Dogra?"

 

In his insight, Dogra had at least waited until they were all inside and properly seated before breaking the news.

 

As he expected, none took it too well. Luffy and Sabo, especially, took it the worst.

 

"W-what'd you say?!" Luffy stammered, his shock mirrored on the faces of everyone present. "Ace is—"

 

"Don't lie to me! That's not something you should even joke about!" Sabo cut in, throwing himself at the small bandit. The others tried to stop him but he paid them no heed, "Don't you ever dare to joke about something like that!"

 

"I'm not lying or joking! Everything happened so fast I couldn't believe my own eyes. I thought I was seeing things." Dogra yelled back, refusing to back down. His mind went back to the memory of burning ship and all too familiar silhoutte he could see in it. "Everyone in the High Town is talking about it! They all saw it happen in front their eyes, and..." He took out an all too familiar black elbow guard, stolen when the nobles were still busy admiring the burning spectacle. "...the pipe was there, but I couldn't take it without causing commotion."

 

"Shut up!" Sabo snapped. "There's no way Ace would die!"

 

"That's right!" Luffy stepped forward, desperate for Sabo to be right. "Ace isn't dead—he wouldn't, Ace wouldn't die that easily!"

 

As one, the two picked their pipe and ran to the entrance. However they didn't get too far before the combined force of Dadan and Mogra stopped them. Mogra, choosing a more peaceful approach, pushed Luffy back with enough force to hold but not to hurt him, "Now, now, I know exactly how you feel right now. But with the state you're in and with all the troops everywhere, going anywhere is just too dangerous."

 

Meanwhile, Dadan, despite her injury, had easily took down Sabo and bashed his head onto the wooden floor. "Just give it up, you little brat!"

 

Sabo struggled, flipping onto his stomach and pushing Dadan's hand away. "Get off me!" He was bleeding but didn't seem to care or even notice. "Don't get in my way!"

 

The runaway noble had a wild look in his eyes as he panted, looking ready to attack the orange-haired woman. Dadan held his shoulders down, preventing him from moving. "You keep acting tough even though you don't have any real strength! What the hell do you think you can do now?! You'll just end up dead! You'll die, and everyone will forget about you by tomorrow! That's all you amount to right now! The one who killed Ace was this kingdom! This world! What difference do you think you can make?!" Dadan lifted Sabo by his shirt and began shaking him. "What a little noble like you can do?!" Tears began building in her eyes, but Dadan simply stood up and turned to her fellow bandits. "Don't let them do anything stupid!"

 

Wordlessly, Sabo sat up and clutched his head, squeezing his eyes shut to drive away the pain in his heart. In the background Luffy's eyes began to tear up and he uttered Ace's name, quickly breaking into sobs. "Accceeeeee!" He cried, tears streaming down his face. "ACCCEEEEEEEE!" His wails carried on for hours, disrupting the oddly quiet night and bearing the sorrow of everyone present.

 

" _ACCCEEEEEEEEEEEE!_ "

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

_And a new story unfolds._

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

"I…I want to become stronger! Stronger and stronger...Even stronger, and stronger, and stronger, stronger, more and more. And more and more, and more and more…And just continue to grow stronger! I want to be able to protect anything I want, so I don't have to lose anything! So please—"

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

" _O-oi_ , what the hell was that?!"

 

"That's a boat, moron!"

 

"I know it's a f*cking boat, jacka*s! I'm asking why the hell it's burning?!"

 

"By Oda. Captain! There is a child on board!"

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

"— _please don't die_!"

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

**Chapter Ends**

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks to everyone who has read and left a kudo last chapter! Also, special thanks to justaguest for the wonderful comment! (人*´∪`) This update is for you!

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

" _Did you know that if we exchanged cups of sake, we can become brothers? When we become pirates, we may not end up in the same crew, but the bond of brotherhood we share will never die! No matter where we are, or what we do, this is one bond we can never break!"_

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

_And their story continues, with one older brother taking care of the younger._

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

"Here I come, Sabo! Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Luffy yelled, stretching his arm to launch his attack, and for the first time his fist went straight toward the older boy instead of other unsuspecting targets. Sabo looked surprised for a moment but managed to dodge quickly even as the fist suddenly snapped back and smacked its owner face.

 

The ten-year-old stared at the spinning spectacle that was his brother before chuckling quietly to himself. He hadn't expected the attack to reach or even come close to him at all, but with Luffy none could really be sure about anything. Shaking his head, he approached the still dizzy boy with a big grin, "That's great, Luffy! Your arm stretched a lot further than it did yesterday!" The blond praised, ruffling the boy's messy black hair. "Your attack is getting better and better."

 

Luffy beamed at him, eyes wide in astonishment. Usually his failed attempt would end up with a mocking laugh and bump on the head rather than a praise, "Really?" At Sabo's answering nod, he pumped his fists and shouted loud enough for all to hear, "Yatta! I really have become strong! Stronger than I was yesterday!"

 

" _Hmph, Sabo! You're far too soft on Luffy!_ " A cool, grumpy voice suddenly cut in. An image of small, wavy haired boy was huffing at the two, arms crossed over his chest. " _You call this a fight? No matter how much force you put into it there's no point if you can't hit anything. I told you rubber really isn't suited for battle!_ " Freckles dotting his young face, the figure snorted, " _It is really a useless power._ "

 

"Shut up! Don't say that!" Luffy cried out in defense, "Don't make fun of the Gomu Gomu Fruit! Someday I'll make you cry! After all I've thought up a technique more powerful than a pistol! Just you see, Ace—"

 

"Now, now, Ace don't be like that! Luffy is—"

 

But the vision vanished as if it never existed in the first place. The two immediately stopped when they realized they were talking to none but a huge boulder. They stared at the empty space where their other brother ought to be before biting their lips in silence. Luffy's eyes began to tear up, lips quivering as he muttered a quiet, "Ace..."

 

The sight was enough for Sabo. He's seen this sullenness throughout the weeks. It hadn't change. The dark brown eyes brimming with tears, teeth biting his lips in efforts not to cry (just yet, but Sabo knew he eventually would), continuous shaking of his shoulders, and the clutching on his hair cause his hat wasn't present (if it was, he'd be hiding his face in it).

 

Ceasing the agony he felt, the eldest of the duo pushes his grief down his personal abyss in order to focus solely on his sibling's. It might not be the first time they had such vivid vision of their absent brother, but Luffy usually would be the one who had it worse. He didn't know. Maybe it was because Luffy was feeling guilty for unintentionally driving Ace away that day. Or maybe it was because he was closer to Ace and had always spent more time with him. Sometimes Luffy would suddenly put his hands protectively on his head as thought he expected someone to hit him for being an idiot or a crybaby. Yet when nothing came—none yelled at him, none hit him anymore, no Ace—the younger would scrunch up and try to bury his face in his oversized hat.

 

Because there was only Sabo now, his nice and kind older brother, his _only_ brother. None else, none else—

 

"— _hurts_!" Luffy yelped in pain as someone suddenly took hold of his cheeks and pulled them _hard_. Depressing thought momentarily forgotten, he touched his reddening cheeks and stared accusingly at the culprit. A stern-faced Sabo stared back at him, unsmiling. "That hurts, Sabo!"

 

The blond crossed his arms, huffing, "I know." He reached for the straw hat that was hanging on Luffy's neck and put it firmly on the boy's head. "But we have promised, haven't we?" He looked directly at his brother, seeing confusion littered the younger's face before realization set in. He knew that Luffy always valued promises very highly, and this one was no exception. He watched as the raven clutched his beloved hat in comfort before offering a firm "Un."

 

"Good." Luffy's all ears at the soft, comforting tone. Each time Sabo used it, it was to comfort him from frightening nightmares, scary darkness, deadly snake bites, thunderstorm, fists of love, and recently _this_ , "Come here."

 

Luffy readily stretched himself into Sabo's embrace, burying his face in the crook of the older's neck. It always felt better when Sabo let him do this; it eased up the gaping loneliness left by Ace's death and kept the fear away. He felt a hand reached up to cradle the back of his head, soon after, deft fingers calmly ruffle his untidy locks with care, and allowed his eyes to finally slid shut. Listening to the strong, calming heartbeat of his older brother, he assured himself that it was okay. He was not alone, he still had Sabo and Sabo had promised to always be here when Luffy needed him. He was not alone anymore. It was okay.

 

"Feeling better?" Sabo asked quietly. The blond let a smile enter his face as the small figure on his chest hummed an affirmative. "Want to help me look for dinner? I'm craving for a bear stew today!"

 

That at least got Luffy's attention and he immediately perked up at the prospect of hunting his favorite meal. "I want crocodile meat!"

 

"That sounds good! It has been a while since we have crocodile meat. Let's go hunt some then give them to Dadan!"

 

"Yosh! I'm gonna catch more than you, Sabo!" Yelling out his goal, Luffy didn't wait for Sabo to answer before rushing off on his own. His unique laugh echoing loudly throughout the forest. Left alone all of sudden, the runaway noble simply shook his head and walked slowly to follow the laughing rubber boy. At least, the boy could finally laugh again. Smiles indeed suited Luffy better than tears.

 

Stopping few feet away, Sabo looked back at the huge boulder where Ace always loved to sit on and smiled.

 

_Two older brothers and one younger brother...that may sound strange, but this bond is my treasure. Luffy may still be a weakling and crybaby, but he's our little brother._

 

"Saabboooooo!"

 

"Yes, Luffy, I'm coming now!"

 

For a moment, he could swear he saw Ace's smirking from where he was. But he shook his head and dismissed it as another imagination. He quickly caught up with Luffy who was already bouncing impatiently on his feet, "Sabooooo, you take so loooong! I'm getting hungry~" the boy whined, "Can we have a snack before we go?"

 

_Ace, between you and I, I wonder who's the older brother?_

 

"Sure. How about some bananas and apples? I think I saw the trees over there."

 

The raven-haired boy seemed less enthuastic at the prospect of eating anything other than meat. But then it'd be better than nothing, right? Grandpa always said that he should eat whatever and whenever he could. So yummy bananas and apples should be a good snack...for now. "Okay!"

 

Chuckling, Sabo motioned to the younger to follow him and set on their course. "Then let's go! You can't beat me on empty stomach, can you?"

 

_But I guess I would never find out, huh?_

 

"Of course!"

 

_Don't worry. I'll take care of him for you, for both of us._

 

"— _starting today, we're brothers!"_

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

_While the other..._

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

They were lucky to save the kid when they did, because a few seconds late then there would be no kid to save. Or at least that was what Doc was saying back then. They didn't really understand. Apparently, kid suffered some major injuries in addition to being left to die on a burning boat. Yes, _left to die_ because there was no fr*aking way kid could light the boat up on his own. He was unconscious and the boat was perfectly empty of anything but the bleeding kid and his lonesome pool of blood! Some sicko must have threw kid here after beating him up (fractured skull, bruised ribs, numerous stitches and bruises), shooting him (four bullets, three of which were still lodged inside) and of course burning him and the boat. F*cking bastard! People might called pirates dirtiest scum on earth, but at least they were not sick enough to hurt (kill!) a small child like that!

 

It was only by some miracles and pretty good ol' doctor that kid survived.

 

"I have done what I can," Doc stated, sounding as exhausted as he looked, "The repairs on his leg and arm went smoothly. Though he'll be in a cast for a good six to seven weeks at least. The damaged ribs are bandaged so they'll be held in place to heal. Those should be fine even before the cast comes off. His lung has also been successfully re-inflated. The blood loss was my biggest concern, but kid is a fighter. His vitals were dangerously low when he arrived, but he held on. I treated his burns and gave him a transfusion. He received over twenty stitches for the wounds on his shoulder and abdomen. Considering the damage to his head, I am still on the look out for the extent of his injuries; although I can't be sure until he wakes up. But like I said, he's good for now."

 

"For now?"

 

Doc messaged the bridged of his nose as to feed off the incoming headache. It hadn't been easy to take care of the kid—he was nearly dead when the crew first brought him abroad. His injuries had been severe, and coupled with how long the kid had drowned before they could save him... "Yes, for now." He replied, "Someone needs to stay with kid and monitor any changes in his condition. If he's getting worse, we might have to bring him to actual hospital where I could get access to their equipment."

 

Some of the burns were superficial, affecting only top layer of skin and would heal in about two weeks without scarring. Yet what worried Doc was the more serious ones where the damage extended beyond the top layer. He wouldn't know the true extend of the damage till kid woke up, though he sure hoped there would be no nerve damage. While the worst blisters might take longer to heal and even would require skin grafting, nerve damage could be damaging if left unattended. Thankfully, there was no signs of hypothermia and hypovolemia. Being left on a burning boat had kept the boy's body from losing excessive body heat due to his injury. In addition, the fire had even cautarize some of the boy's wounds, preventing further blood loss and nasty infections from settling in. Even his drowning in the ocean had somehow helped cooling the worst of the burns. All in all, kid was extremely lucky to be alive with all that had happened to him. If he didn't know any better, he would dare to say that kid must be blessed by some kind of deity for both the sea and fire to save him on their own way. Really, someone up there must love him plenty to not let kid die like that.

 

And to send him to a ship of Yonko...

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

— _finds a new companion._

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

 

**Chapter Ends**

 

**-4-6-4-6-4-6-4-6-**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't really plan for the chapter to turn out like that, but somehow it just did. Sorry if it ended up disappointing you... This chapter was about healing on the brothers' part. Luffy and Sabo needed to deal with emotional tolls that came with Ace's 'death'; while Ace himself had to be treated for his injuries. Not much on Ace's part since he was still unconscious. But for Luffy and Sabo, I hoped they were not too OOC? Unlike what happened in canon where Ace and Luffy managed to cope with Sabo's death with the help of his letter (and Ace's bonking, I swear he really took after Garp in this aspect), in this story Sabo and Luffy had no such luxury. The duo still promised to be pirates and gain more freedom than anyone else like what Ace and Luffy did in canon. But that was it. Ace didn't leave any letter for them to dwell or cry over, and Luffy was bearing a guilt over Ace's death. They was then having a hard(er) time getting over their lost.
> 
> I think if he was the one growing up with Luffy, Sabo would be the type of brother who was kind and nice but strict at times. He'd need to take on some of Ace's personalities in order to keep Luffy in line, I guess. Just like how Ace became nicer and more polite (like Sabo) in canon, the opposite happened here. So, now, rather than punches and yells, Luffy got hugs and praises from his older brother. Rather than charging on ahead, he was taught to be patient and think first. I believe it would do a great deal for his character later on, no?
> 
> Well, I'm looking forward to hear what you think. Any comment or feedback is very much appreciated. Oh, and I'm looking for a beta-reader, if anyone is interested please let me know. Thanks!

**Author's Note:**

> As you've noticed, I'm changing bits of the original story and timeline to fit with my plot. This story happened after Dadan and Ace came back from the fire but before Sabo set sail. Luffy and Ace had a fight about Sabo, which ended up with Ace leaving alone to the High Town to get Sabo back. He sneaked inside during the Tenryuubito's arrival, and well, being Ace, he unintentionally drew attention to himself and made the Tenryuubito angry. He got shot and left to die on a burning ship. Yes, crazy idea I know. The details would come out later. Meanwhile, as for Sabo, he hasn't sailed away because his parents discovered his plans and locked him up. When he managed to get out, he returned to Luffy and the bandits. So, Ace ended up being the one who 'died' and Sabo grew up with Luffy. In this chapter, I made Sabo play Ace's role and speak his dialogue for most part. However, I don't plan for him to simply be Ace's substitute in this story. It will be different than canon, I hope promise!
> 
> And, well, I'm kinda new to this fandom and am afraid if I make any mistakes without knowing (`･/д＼･) so I'd really appreciate if anyone could give me comment or feedback. Please tell me what you think, guys!
> 
> (人*´∪`) Thank you! (´∪`*人)


End file.
